1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to patient transport systems and related methods of use and, more particularly, to modular patient transport systems that are configured to transport patients from one surface to another for various applications (e.g., for diagnostic imaging and/or radiation therapy applications).
2. Background Art
In general, patient transport systems or the like are known. For example, it is sometimes desirable/necessary to transport a patient from one assembly/surface to another (e.g., from one target modality assembly or treatment assembly to another). Some exemplary patient transport systems and related systems/accessories or the like are described and disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,490,226; 8,234,727; 8,171,580; 7,228,579; 7,191,854; 6,701,544; 6,718,571; 6,584,626 and 4,259,756, and U.S. Patent Pubs. Nos. 2013/0212806 and 2007/0074347, and U.S. Patent Application Ser. Nos. 61/836,707 and 61/865,539, and WO2011/139062; JP02082975 and KR896817, the entire contents of each being hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
A constant need exists among patient transport system manufacturers to develop patient transport systems and related systems/accessories that are cost-effective and/or include improved features/structures.
For example, some equipment used today for diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment is sophisticated and expensive. To attempt to maximize the utilization of this equipment it is desirable to be able to transport a patient to and from the equipment on a transport system/assembly which allows rapid change over from one patient to the next.
Moreover, some procedures require a rapid transition from one type of equipment to the next. As such, there are instances in which a patient is taken from one imaging modality (e.g., CT, PET/CT, MRI, etc.) to another, or from an imaging modality to the treatment room in succession. For example, it is often desirable to perform positron emission tomography/computed tomography (“PET/CT”) and magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) exams in close time proximity so that the biological effect of interest can be seen in both machines. An effective patient transport system can be a significant aid in such situations.
Radiation therapy and diagnostic imaging equipment are often used in hospitals and treatment centers. Some techniques for radiation therapy and diagnostic imaging require that patients be positioned and immobilized precisely. Generally, treatment of a tumor by radiation therapy is preceded by a diagnostic imaging procedure called simulation. During simulation, the patient is positioned in the manner anticipated for treatment. This can include the physical orientation of the patient using the positioning and immobilization assemblies/devices that will be used in treatment.
Furthermore, some state of the art cancer radiation therapy is increasingly based on the pinpoint application of high-energy radiation, which can be highly tailored to the shape and position of the cancerous tumor. As the size of the treatment beam decreases, the accurate location of the beam becomes much more critical. For example, if a highly tailored treatment beam is off target (e.g., by a few millimeters), it may miss the tumor. Because of these new techniques, it becomes increasingly desirable to know the location/shape of the tumor accurately when the patient is positioned for treatment.
Thus, an interest exists for improved patient transport systems and related assemblies/accessories. These and other inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement are addressed and/or overcome by the assemblies, systems and methods of the present disclosure.